


Quiet Zone

by my_mad_fatuation



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Trains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 08:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8242691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mad_fatuation/pseuds/my_mad_fatuation
Summary: So you meet someone cute on the quiet car of the train--what do you do? Pass (digital) notes, of course.





	

Rae had only been to King’s Cross once, on her way into London earlier that day to visit her friend, so she didn’t really know it very well yet as she tried to navigate her way to her train home. After staring at screens for what felt like ages, she finally found her platform and walked briskly towards it.

Despite her worries about missing the train, she managed to find an empty pair of seats—in the quiet car, no less—and sat next to the window, which she preferred. She got settled in and checked her phone. The train was supposed to leave any minute now. She was antsy to get going.

She put in her earbuds to calm her nerves with music—she always got nervous on public transit, for some reason. She looked at her phone again: one minute to go.

When she gazed up, there was a handsome young man in a suit standing in the aisle and looking at her as he pointed at the seat next to her, as if he were asking for permission to sit there. She nodded politely and he sat down.

She figured he was a commuter, due to the business suit and the messenger bag that clearly contained a laptop. He pulled out his phone and started typing furiously. She wondered how important he must be to have to text like that. Business people confused Rae; she didn’t understand why they had to be working literally all the time.

She looked at her own phone once again and almost wished she had something important to do, or anything to do at all. No texts from friends. No emails. Nothing.

After a little while, her seatmate nudged her with his arm, surprising her. When she turned her attention to him, she realized he was holding his phone towards her, showing her the screen.

She wasn’t sure what to expect exactly—was he trying to show her a funny cat video or something? But when she looked at the screen, she just saw a single word. _“Hi.”_

She frowned and looked at him curiously. What the hell was going on?

He nodded towards her phone like he was expecting her to respond, so she opened a note app and typed _“Hi?”_ before pointing her screen at him.

He started typing something else and showed her again. _“What’s your name?”_

 _“Rae,”_ she wrote back.

 _“Hi Rae. I’m Finn,”_ he replied on his phone, tilting it towards her.

She still wasn’t quite sure what was going on. _“OK.”_

_“How are you this evening?”_

_“Fine,”_ she typed uncertainly.

He started typing on his phone again, though this time it was a longer message and Rae wasn’t so sure it was for her this time until he turned it to her again. _“Sorry to bother you. I don’t normally do this but it’s not everyday I get to sit next to a cute girl on the train.”_

Embarrassed, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to see if it looked like he was joking, but he caught her and she looked away quickly. She wasn’t really sure how to respond. _“Thanks I guess.”_

_“You’re welcome.”_

She smiled to herself a little. _“Do you do this often?”_

_“No. You’re the first person I’ve tried this on. If it works out well I might put it in my regular rotation.”_

_“Works out in what way?”_

_“If I get your number before one of us gets off,”_ he wrote, then quickly pulled his phone back and added, _“the train.”_

She had to keep herself from laughing out loud.

He took his phone back and started typing something else. _“I’m hoping you find this charming and not creepy.”_

 _“Borderline,”_ she replied.

_“Would it be less weird if I just texted you?”_

_“Nice try.”_

_“Give me a break, I’m new at this.”_

_“I don’t give out my number to just anyone.”_

_“Who says I’m just anyone? I could be your soul mate.”_

_“Does that line usually work?”_

_“Not really.”_

_“I appreciate your honesty.”_

_“I’m great at being honest. I can do it all night.”_

She chuckled silently. _“Impressive.”_

_“I’d raise my eyebrows suggestively at you but that might be construed as creepy.”_

_“I wouldn’t risk it if I were you.”_

_“Thanks for the advice.”_

_“I shouldn’t be giving you tips on how to pick up women on the train.”_

_“How else am I going to learn?”_

_“Take a course.”_

_“Where is this course offered? Because I feel I’m not doing so well right now.”_

Rae liked his self-deprecating sense of humour. _“I think you’re doing better than you think you are.”_

_“Oh really?”_

_“I’ve said too much.”_ She snuck a peek at him and it looked like he was trying not to smile as he typed up his response.

_“Way to tip your hand.”_

_“You know nothing.”_

_“I know that mine’s the next stop, so you have about two minutes to make up your mind.”_

_“I already have.”_

He looked at his phone desolately for a moment before responding, _“Goodbye, Rae.”_

Instead of writing something back on her phone, she took the phone from his hand and typed her number, followed by, _“Goodbye, Finn,”_ and handed it back.

He looked at his phone and grinned at it before putting it in his pocket and getting up as the train came to a stop. She watched him get off the train, and she still couldn’t believe that had actually happened.

The train started moving again and her phone buzzed in her hand. She looked and there was a text message from an unknown number, but she knew it must be from him.

_“Shit, this wasn’t my stop.”_


End file.
